bow tie

American  

[boh] / boʊ /

noun

bow ties plural

1. a small necktie tied in a bow at the collar.

2. a sweet roll or Danish pastry having a shape similar to that of a bow tie or butterfly.

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bow tie British  

/ bəʊ /

noun

1. a man's tie tied in a bow, now chiefly in plain black for formal evening wear

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bow ties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bow tie

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

No less than the staid bow tie baseball chronicler Ken Rosenthal described the Red Sox under Henry as “incoherent, dysfunctional and forever poised to overreact.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

And veteran director Spike Lee brought a splash of color to his ensemble of muted neutrals with a bright purple hat and bow tie.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

Bad Bunny went for a classic tux and bow tie.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026

Ditching the bow tie in favor of something more casual is fitting for an artist who was no longer at the highest levels of pop culture validation.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025

After a few commercials, an announcer wearing a black and white suit with a bow tie at his neck comes on to say the winning numbers.

From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na